A bad start, but a good finish - Fraser's Fishery

It was a strange day – Zero degrees when I left home and it must have been 25 in the sun by the time the match on Fraser’s Fishery  at Little Downham, near Ely, had finished. Very uncomfortable with all those thermals and sweat shirts on! The trip to Fraser’s took me about an hour – on a Sunday morning I do it in 35 minutes.

The hold-ups were caused by people queueing to get onto the A14 to Cambridge, queueing to avoid the A14 and get onto the A10 to Cambridge, an accident in the middle of the village of Sutton and, finally, a refuse cart parked across the entrance to the fishery. After all that I got to the draw after 8am, to find that it hadn’t taken place yet, and I was able to fish. My luck had turned!!

Ice-cold water with sun and no wind - not a promising outloook.

Nineteen of us  fished, with nine on Emily’s and ten on Mark’s Lake. I drew Emily’s 2 and Robert Edmondson said it could be very good or dire. But with the weather being bright sun and hardly a breath of wind I suspected that weights would be low all round the lake anyway.

I set up five rigs – one for dobbing at 11.5 metres on the far side, one for the bottom of the far bank shelf, one for the bottom of the nearside shelf, and one for each side margin. Roger Denson said he’d had 40 lb on the Sunday, fishing across and to the righthand margin.

Dobbing bread works

I started dubbing bread, and after 30 minutes and a couple of liners, I had a 2 lb carp. Four more followed in the next half hour, but then there was a blank spell. I had a look in the margin, but  never had a touch, so it was out to the three-section swim near the bottom of the shelf, where three roach and a 3 oz bar of soap came in, all on maggot. I toyed with the idea of staying here and hoping the carp would move in, but I hadn’t seen any fish topping, and felt my best chance was back over the far side.

Emily's Lake result - I am on peg 2.

A small carp on bread was followed by a lull, and then a 4 lb common on maggot. Now the angler to my right started taking occasional fish right over the far side, including one about 4 lb. I persevered with maggot (which I could see he was using) and managed another three or four  fish before the end, though I kept having quick looks in the margins, which are a nice depth – two to three feet. But I could see other anglers trying the margins, and soon giving up.

I also lost two fish, one foulhooked as I came back with a tiny scale, and the other almost certainly foulhooked, as it kept changing direction in an instant – an almost-certain sign of a foulhooker.

Mark's Lake result.

Another win!

The angler to my right weighed in 13 lb, and I totalled 21 lb 14 oz to win Emily’s (the lakes are treated as two separate matches), with owner Fraser second on 18 lb. He took most of his fish just down from the top of the nearside drop-off, something I had not tried. But I will remember that for the future.

Winner Joanne, on Mark's peg 2.

Kevin Sands, second on M\ark's.

So a win is a small antidote to my Winter League debacle, and gives me five wins and a second out of the six matches I have fished here. I like the place!

Fraser told me that while Emily’s is the fairest lake, with everyone having the same distance to the island, Mark’s holds more fish, and as only some can fish to an island, it will always be liable to have more varied weights. Joanne Banks won with 49 lb 8 oz. She is a regular winner here and was on peg 2,which is opposite the island, using mainly corn,.

Still no joy for me - Cedar, Decoy.

The sixth and final Decoy Winter League, and I was on Cedar 26, in the corner, with the end bank on my left. Almost every night for several weeks has seen the temperature drop below zero, so the water was ice-cold, and there was uninterrupted sun all day, with not a breath of wind to start with, though a light breeze blew towards the end of the match, giving the anglers to my right a little ripple.

I like Cedar 26, and have won matches from there. Clouds of mud were coming up in the margins in most pegs before we started, so I began fishing there. But after 30 minutes on pellet and corn I had not had a fish on either side, so moved out to 13 metres, fully expecting fish, as I had seen one or two anglers catching long, but nothing. Back into the margins, and I eventually took a 2 lb carp on maggot.

 Peg 26, looking across to peg 1. I couldn't reach the aerator with a pole.

Neil, Adcock, opposite on peg 1, had had a barbel very early fishing shallow right up to the reeds on the end bank, and was now catching fish in the deeper water a metres from the reeds. I went out at 13 metres to my end bank and immediately hooked, and landed, a 6 lb mirror. Two more carp followed in the next 15 minutes, but then nothing. Later the sun became so difficult that I had to leave the end bank swim, after trying it a couple more times.

Cedar fished well (but I didn't).

I had nothing for the next two hours, and eventually took a 2 lb F1 from the long line. With 40 minutes to go I looked inside again and took a 3 lb barbel. Then I lost three fish – two came off and the other was obviously a barbel which shot under my platform and broke the hooklength. The angler to my right was getting occasional fish from the margins but although I had the occasional twitch I couldn’t get any more proper bites, though I did manage four or five small roach.

I had lots of tiny movements of the float during the day, and suspect that every one was a fish knocking the bait rather than hitting the line. I tried using a long tail, and I tried putting shot down near the bait, but nothing worked properly. Neil Adcock opposite had a good spell out near the aerator – I couldn’t reach this with a pole – and finished by getting fish on pellet in open water.

Damson is so consistent, with most fish taken on a top two.

My six fish weighed 21 lb, for last on the lake, but not quite last in the match (!) I was disappointed because I thought I had fished a fair match, not dwelling too long in swims where I didn’t get a touch, and feeding carefully via a small pot. The Winter League Final had used these pegs the previous day (when Neil Adcock had drawn Cedar 2, next to where he fished today) , but that is no excuse – that applied to lots of the swims.

Winner of the series  was Andy Leathers, who took home £1,000, followed by Josh Pace, Richard Bond, and Chris Barley – all very very good, but to be honest most of the field were capable of framing. I feel lucky that I am still able to physically compete in such matches, so am still looking forward to next year! 

Winner Andy Leathers.

I managed to beat one weight on Elm...

...and another on Yew!

On the cancer front I’m going to exercises twice a week to try to get weight off my stomach (caused by the hormone treatment), and acupuncture once a week to try to get rid of the hot flushes. I’ also trying to avoid eating between meals and to avoid sugary foods. Otherwise I feel OK, though I’ve lost a lot of strength from my hands, arms and legs. My new Frenzee trolly is great, though it takes a few minutes to assemble.

I hope to fish Fraser’s match tomorrow, and club matches begin early March. Roll on Summer!

I win a match...and break my pole! Fraser’s Fishery

Fraser’s Fishery is a cracking place – two small lakes near Ely, totalling about 30 pegs, and every Tuesday there’s a Pensioner’s match. I’ve fished Fraser’s four times in the summer, in club matches (with three wins and a second), but thought I’d try a Winter match for a change. I think there were eight on Emily’s, and nine on Mark’s – each lake treated as a separate match.

Fraser himself is so welcoming, and the anglers are all Norfolk boys – so I can understand them! I knew a couple of them already – surnames don’t matter here, and all the results – including those put on the website each week, give just the first names! The car park is right next to the two lakes, and the longest walk – over flat grass, is no more than about 70 yards. I love it.

I drew the ‘toilet’ peg 10, on Emily’s, so-called because it’s just in front of the toilet. Two or three locals told me it’s a good peg – the fish are caught right across to the island at about 11 metres, and to the right. I plumbed up across, and in one spot my pole started shaking as fish hit the line!

Peg 10 - the island is 11 metres away. Mark's Lake is just the other side.

Obviously I started fishing across, as the wind, from the left, wasn’t particularly strong. I dobbed bread, fully expecting an instant response, but after half an hour I had had nothing. I decided to give it another 30 minutes....but then I unexpectedly found myself attached to a reed on the island. I tried shaking the rig free but must have shaken it too much because...’Bang’ the Number Four section broke, with a crack you could have heard a mile away.

I have a problem!

The top three-and-a-half sections fell into the water, but were still attached to the reed, and well out of reach and I didn't have a spare pole with me. I walked round to Fraser, to check that I could take the boat out at the end of the match, and free it. He said of course I could. I was a bit despondent, of course, and thought about sitting there for the next five-and-a half hours until the match finished. But after I’d put the back sections safely in the holdall I wondered about fishing a top two, rather than completely waste my time. A sort of challenge.

Everyone I could see on my lake was fishing long, so I didn’t hold out much hope. But I remembered that Fraser had been fishing close-in when I spoke to him, so decided to give it a go. After a few minutes composing myself I put in some maggots next to the bank and fished a special little method I use – if I can’t get a fish like that then I am convinced there’s aren’t any there.

Fish!

But after about 30 minutes I had a bite on double red maggot and landed a 3 lb carp! Another 40 minutes didn’t bring any more, so I fished around in my holdall and took out a short Number Three I remembered I carry with me. It’s not more than 18 inches long, but it would have to do. I started another line in front of me, partway down the shelf – I couldn’t reach the deepest  water.

After about 20 minutes I fancied the float moved, and just after that I hit a fish that turned out to be a 4 oz bar of soap – a little tench. Twenty minutes later a 2 lb barbel came in, and I started to think I might actually avoid coming last, as I hadn’t seen much else caught.

I decided that if there were barbel about I would be better putting bait in with a bait dropper, as the swim was over five feet where I was fishing, and the wind was strengthening. Then, in a spell of about 45 minutes, four chub came to the net, best over 2 lb, and the gentleman to my left  told me he had just one small fish. But the next hour saw no bites at all. 

The match had started at 9 am and it was now 1.20, and I had an hour and 30 minutes left, so had another look down the side, putting in casters and fishing maggot. First drop-in I had a 2 lb carp, and in the next 30 minutes I had three more, lost one big fish which pulled off (causing me to change the elastic to a lighter grey Hydro)  and then a 2 lb barbel.

The match finished at 2 pm!

An hour to go, and I was rebaiting when someone shouted, loudly, and everybody started packing up. Apparently before the clocks change the matches finish at 2 o’clock, altering to 3 o’clock when they change. I had looked at the website for the times (9am to 3pm) but should have checked, of course.

Actually I rather like the system there – they don’t weight in until virtually everyone is ready, so everyone can follows the scales – very civilised. The early finish still means you can still start driving home in the light, even in December.

I took some stuff back to the car, and was amazed to see that Fraser himself had the boat out and was retrieving my pole. He had a triple bypass last year, but sensibly took it easy. What a great bloke.

I was first to weigh, 26 lb-plus, and it held all the way round to Robert Edmondson, who had a similar number of fish, but they weighed 23 lb to give me top weight on Emily’s.

From memory Mark’s Lake had three 30 lb-plus weights – I had seen on the website that this tends to produce the best weights when both lakes are fished.

Very happy

So I gained a bit of confidence, beating locals fishing short when I had expected  to be able to fish long.  Next Sunday sees the last Decoy Winter League match – the day after the AT Winter League final. It’s a rearranged match - an earlier one was cancelled because the lakes were iced over. Perhaps I can avoid coming last on the lake? Perhaps my luck has changed.

I took my broken pole to Will Hadley in St Ives on the way back and he hopes to have it mended by the weekend, otherwise I will have top use my shorter, 12-metre Browning Sting, which will put me at a disadvantage on the strips.

PS. Today (Wednesday) I spoke to the angler who fished Six-Islands Peg 1 on Sunday (the peg where I had bombed out the previous week in a headwind rainstorm). He told me he had found that at 14.5 metres the sunken island was a good deal higher than I had found at 11.5 metres. A lesson learned!

Open Result, Decoy

Here are the (slightly unclear) result sheets from the Open held on Decoy on Sunday, won on Oak 10.

CEDAR

OAK

YEW

FOUR-ISLANDS

I catch some fish...But Not A Lot! – Six-Islands, Decoy

Peg 18 on Six-Island was my home for the fifth Decoy Individual Winter League. In summer it can be a flier, but with a cool Southerly wind from the right it was very difficult for me. It’s a narrow swim with a bank behind me and the wind channels straight down.  I would have preferred the swims to my left, three of which had a reed-fringed island to fish to; I think the fish hang around the islands when the water is cool and moving, as they are able to dive into the reeds when they are not interested in feeding, and then come out for a minute or two at intervals. My swim had very  little cover as the wind was hurtling straight down.

Peg 18 looking towards Four-Islands. The wind increased later.

The forecast was for it to strengthen, so I started off across the far side, at about ten metres,with a 4mm expander over micros  for just three little knocks, none of which turned into a proper bite. I managed to pick up a bit of tow against the wind, though when I tried the same spot later the wind was so strong I couln’t pick up the tow. A change to corn did not help, and after an hour the wind made presentation difficult.

I had put in a little bait at four sections in front of me, but I had nothing there, and after two-and-a-half hours I had not had a fish, but had seen the higher numbers to my left catch odd carp. Eventually I had to try maggot, and as expected this attracted occasional roach to 3 oz, and I felt I had no option but to carry on doing this, hoping better fish would come.

Last in my section again!

WILLOWS

A switch to my left, where presentation was easier, brought another four or five roach just off the end of a small group of irises, and then, a foot off bottom, I hit a much better fish. Unfortunately after a couple of minutes it pulled off, possibly foulhooked. A few minutes later I manage to land a 2 lb F1, and then hooked another good fish which suddenly made a beeline for my platform, and transferred to hook to my keepnet! Probably a barbel.

In the final 90 minutes I hooked (and landed) another three F1s, all off bottom, and a 2 lb barbel, all on maggot to my left near the irises. I would have liked to fish long, at 11 metres, to my right, which was a bit shallower, where Ben Bell had most of his fish last Sunday, but the sun made it impossible at the start of the match, and later, when the sun had moved, it was too rough to even try it!

BEASTIE

I weigh 14 lb 7 oz

My fish weighed 14 lb 7 oz, one from last in the match, but I didn’t feel too bad, as Mark Perkins told me afterwards that he had had that swim  on Saturday last week and had struggled with presentation in the Southerly wind. In fact he, also, had had all his fish in the spot I took mine.

The lake was won with 74 lb from Peg 22, which won the section last Sunday. The peg I had last Sunday was second with 73 lb, and it looked as if he had most of his fish at 16 metres. The match was won by Chris Barley on Willows 25 – probably the best-known flier on the complex. Put Chris where there are fish and he’s unbeatable!

PS. Just seen that peg 18, in the previous day's Open, which was won on Peg 22, Did Not Weigh.

LOU'S

DAMSON

I set a record! – Six-Islands, Decoy

It wasn’t a record I wanted to hold, but for the THIRD time in a row I finished last in the match. However, there were what I believe to be extenuating circumstances...

I drew Peg 1 on Six-Island, with Chris Barley on my immediate left on peg 3. There was a cold wind, with incessant rain which didn’t stop until halfway though the match, and we were both facing it – it was right into our faces. I don’t think I’ve been as cold since I fished the old Angling Times Winter League matches for the last time in the 1980s. Six-Island is the most Western lake on the complex, and our bank took the full force of the wind and rain, which came from WNW.

A good start

Things started brightly – I hooked a big fish within a minute of dropping in with a 4mm expander at 11.5 metres, which was on the edge of the sunken island slightly to my right. Unfortunately it came off after 30 seconds – probably foulhooked. I went out again, and had two or three more bites – probably liners – so I shallowed up, expecting to find carp ten inches off bottom.  But not a touch.

I was surprised to find that what had once been a tall island, well above the surface, has apparently been whittled down to no more than a foot above the bottom. I fished right on the edge, so could lay on the bottom or, moving a metres to the left, could fish just off bottom.

I persevered here for another hour, as the wind got slowly stronger and the rain harder, without another sign of fish. Eventually a roach took the expander, and I changed to maggot, but I couldn’t keep the roach coming. I tried out at four sections of pole, and had a few more, and even one in the margin. The problem in my swim was that near the margin the wind was creating a tow out to the open water, so I had no idea where my loosefeed was finishing up.

It gets even colder

I had tried out near the aerator to my right, and beyond it, but with the wind then at 90 degrees to the pole, even with resting the pole on the aerator it was in danger of breaking, so I had to give that up. After the rain stopped things were tolerable for half an hour, but then the wind became bitterly cold again, and I could not stop shivering, even though I had eight layers of clothing on.

My sorry result. John Arthur on peg 7 seems to have changed his name!

With 15 minutes to go, after consistently trying pellet, corn and maggot,  I had about 15 roach, and suddenly hit a lump in the margin on double maggot. Five minutes later that lump was in my landing net, and on close inspection turned out to be a 10 lb mirror carp. It was my last fish, and I weighed 12 lb 9 oz for plumb last. HOWEVER I can’t be too despondent, as the bottom three weights in the match came from Six-Island.

Six-Island winner Billy Marlow,
on peg 22, with 80 lb 13 oz.

Chris, to my left, had a reed-fringed island in front, and took about eight or nine carp for 50 lb, I suspect from different areas of his swim, as like me he seemed to be trying several spots in rotation. I should probably have used a bait dropper to put in maggots near the margin, in the hope that they would remain in roughly the same place on the bottom, rather than being swept about in the current. But the cold numbed my brain as well as my hands!!

Opposite, Pegs 22 and 24 caught carp early on, while the angler on Peg 22 then had odd fish steadily during the day, to win the lake. They had back wind, and 24 had a side wind – much, much easier conditions than Chris and I had. I doubt I shall get quite as uncomfortable peg again, so I am still looking forward to the fifth match on Sunday.

Another “Thanks for Coming” – Magpie, Pidley

The Decoy Winter League on Sunday having been cancelled because the lakes were iced over, I settled for the next Wednesday Over 60s Open on Magpie Lake at Rooker Farm, Pidley. Peg 34 was my home for the day – on the end of the island, where a floating island has been placed, and ropes rigged up about 25 yards away from the bank which prevent anyone casting across towards the far bank and across other anglers’ lines. I had no problem with that.

My peg 34 - the new floating island is about 25 metres away.

Peg 34 has a good reputation, and it was a cracking Winter's day – warm with sun and hardly any wind, but the water was ice cold and clear and I didn’t fancy my chances much. A feeder with a pop-up to the aerator, and another to the floating island, produced not a bite. So I went out at 13 metres in front of me, where I know other anglers have had fish in the past, but I never had a bite here on pellet or maggot.

I’d been dropping maggots in the margin, but a long look there didn’t produce any sign of a fish. So i tried laying on to my left at 13 metres, where it was a foot shallower than in front. I had a liner immediately, so switched to a spare rig and hung a piece of bread punch a foot off bottom. This produced a roach, but nothing else. Over the next hour I tried maggot and took about a dozen roach, also hitting a big carp which I am sure was foulhooked as after it had got off my two pinkies were untouched.

No-one weighed from 11 round to 21.

The final two hours saw two more roach, and I weighed in 2 lb 8 oz – last of those to weigh, but several packed up well before the end. The carp were mainly at the end of the lake nearest the entrance, where there are lillies on the summer, although Dennis Sambridge, to my left on 32, had one in his 7 lb 8 oz catch. Winner Brian Yorke had 99 lb 12 oz off peg 36 fishing 14 metres, which would have put him over the lilly bed. His fish came to bread about 18 inches deep.

The two anglers on 7 and 9 both had all-roach catches, I was told, on waggler - 16 lb and 20 lb 2 oz, casting towards the reed bed.

Next match is Sunday at Decoy in the Individual Winter League, where my target is to avoid coming last in the 50-peg match.